Lean On Our Shoulders
by EmilieHenderson99
Summary: When Kurt runs himself down and falls ill with the flu, the other Glee members try their best to nurse him back to health.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! Since this is my first time writing about Glee and most of my readers will probably be new ones, I figured I should introduce myself!**

**I'm Emmaleigh and I love Big Time Rush, but I've recently began to like Glee. I've only watched the first 4 episodes, so I apologize if anything I write about isn't up-to-date. My friend Sam got me into the show, so thanks to her, because it's SO good! I especially love Kurt and Finn! Finn is so hot and Kurt is adorable :) **

**If you asked any of my original readers, they'd tell you that I absolutely LOVE writing sickfics…so that's what I'm going to do. I really hope you guys enjoy reading this and feedback would be amazing, so please do leave some reviews!**

It's pretty weird how something simple like the flu could cause such hysteria throughout a high school. Terry forced Will into staying home for a few days in worry that if he caught something, it'd make her "baby" sick. Emma was in frenzy with this; the students were surprised that she hadn't come to school with a surgical mask or something. Needless to say, about everyone in Lima was panicky about the illness, including the Glee Club…but some were more concerned than other. Kurt for one was extremely nervous. He never got sick and wanted to keep things that way.

"If Mr. Shue's not here…I think that I should be in charge of the Glee club meetings." Rachel suggested.

"Should we even still meet?" Mercedes asked, "I mean Brittany, Santana, Quinn, and Puck are all sick."

"Of course we need to continue practicing!" Rachel insisted, "We can't slack just because some people aren't here."

"B-b-but that's not very fair." Tina stuttered.

"Not everything is fair!" Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Guys, let's just practice." Finn sighed.

Artie rolled over to where the group had been standing, "I agree with Finn…"

Mercedes scoffed, "Of course all of you agree with Rachel."

"Everyone does, because I'm always right." Rachel smiled.

Finn turned towards Kurt who had been sitting in the back of the choir room the whole time, "You okay, man? You seem quieter than usual."

"I'm fine." Kurt replied; although he knew that his pale face would give away that he hadn't been feeling himself lately.

"Maybe you're coming down with something." Artie added.

Kurt shook his head, "Oh…no, no I don't ever get sick."

Mercedes put out her hand to feel Kurt's forehead for a fever, but he jerked back before she could. The last thing he needed was for everyone to dote over him.

"All I'm saying is that if you keep this from everyone and try to put it off, it's only gonna get worse." Mercedes explained.

"Yeah K-Kurt…Mercedes i-i-is right." Tina nodded.

"Don't worry about me so much." Kurt assured, "I'm totally okay…never felt better."

"Guys!" Rachel yelled, "We're wasting time!"

The rest of the Glee members turned their attention back to Rachel and laughed.

"Would it hurt you to care about someone other than yourself at times?" Finn chuckled.

Rachel pouted and crossed her arms, "Whatever…let's work on the dance routine."

Everyone lined up and followed after Rachel. She was annoying at times, but nobody could argue with the fact that she was a great dancer. Her moves were fun and catchy at the same time. Luckily they were easy to learn too. Even Finn was able to catch on quickly. After the 3rd time through the dance about everyone knew it; strangely Kurt was the only one having some trouble. He was an experienced performer, yet he was still tripping over his feet.

"Sorry." He mumbled.

"You never have trouble dancing, Kurt!" Rachel sighed.

The teen wanted to tell his friends that his head was pounding at the moment and distracting him from his dancing, but he couldn't. Ever since his mom passed away he had a problem letting anyone care for him; she took care of him when he was sick…and nobody else could fill that void…he couldn't let them. The headache escalated to dizziness and Kurt felt sick to his stomach, but he put it off to the side and laughed at Rachel's statement instead.

"I guess it's just…a harder routine or something." He giggled.

"But even Finn got it!"

"Hey!" Finn called out.

"That boy is sick." Mercedes noticed.

"He can't be sick! We can't p-practice if h-he's sick…we wouldn't have e-enough people." Tina cried.

"Guys stop…if he's sick, then he should be able to get his rest." Artie spoke up.

"Exactly. Maybe if he starts relaxing now he'll get better sooner." Finn continued, "We can take care of him."

"I'm not sick!" Kurt screamed. He frantically looked at the faces all staring at him and felt his head begin to spin. All the yelling made him feel queasy and even more ill than before.

"N-no…this isn't happening." He thought to himself as the shouting started back up again.

Bile rose in his throat and he couldn't take the anxiety any longer. Without saying anything else Kurt turned on his feet and dashed out of the choir room heading for the bathroom. This was bad; seriously bad and there was no way it'd get better anytime soon. He was going to run himself down if he didn't seek any help.

**So how was it? Let me know if you want me to continue! Reviews are awesome, by the way :)**

**xoxo**

**~EMMALEiGH **


	2. Chapter 2

**Super HUUUGE thanks to all of my readers, reviewers, alerters, and favoriters! **

Kurt felt his Steve Madden shoes clank against the school hallway floor as he dashed past lockers and classrooms. He hated being sick with a passion; it made him feel icky and gross. Once at the bathroom he pushed the door open and ran to the last stall, not wanting anyone to have a chance of getting a glimpse of him being sick. That'd be so embarrassing, but even worse…they might want to help him or something. Without hesitation the boy flung his messenger bag to the side. He used his feeble and shaky hands to pull off his jacket and hang it over the stall's door before kneeling in front of the toilet and dry heaving. Part of him wanted to believe that this was all in his head, but it just felt too real to be a figment of his imagination.

Kurt coughed into the bowl only to see that nothing was coming up. He let out a sigh of relief and pulled his knees to his chest, laying his head on top of his legs. He felt like crap and wanted more than anything to be able to cozy up in his own bed. He considered going home early for mere seconds but ditched the idea once he remembered that his dad would freak out if he saw him in this condition. Beads of sweat rolled down from Kurt's forehead as he sniffled and tried to hold back his tears. Crying would only make the situation worse; it'd make him weak.

"Kurt!" The sound of Finn's voice echoed and bounced from the bathroom walls, "What happened, man?!"

Kurt let out a small whimper, not having the physical or emotional strength to reply properly.

"Dude…where are you?" Finn added.

The taller boy bent over and looked from under the stalls to see that his friend was in the one farthest from him. He let out a sympathetic sigh and strolled to where Kurt had been the whole time. With one light nudge, Finn swung the door open to see Kurt curled in on himself. The small boy looked so innocent but needy at the same time. Finn might have actually felt the urge to hug him at the moment; but wouldn't you? How could you possibly not find him cute at that moment? He resembled a tiny puppy with his big round emerald eyes peering up at the older teen.

A sudden surge of humiliation filled Kurt's body as he scooped himself up and felt as his cheeks became a rosy color. He must've looked like a sweaty mess at the moment and it mortified him to be seen like this; it made him look helpless and vulnerable. The young teen wanted more than anything to be accepted by his peers; to be seen as someone superior and strong. After being exposed while in that state, the façade Kurt wanted to gain seemed so far off in the distance.

"Do you want some help?" Finn asked as the chestnut-haired boy struggled to stand up on his own due to dizziness.

Kurt shook his head, "I-I'm okay."

"Were you throwing up in here?" Finn's eyes grew larger with concern.

Kurt shook his head, "No." and it wasn't a complete lie…he wanted to throw up; hoping it'd made the sick feeling vanish, but didn't before Finn came in.

Finn raised his eyebrows with suspicion but shrugged it off, knowing how stubborn Kurt could get at times, "Okay…well, we were worried about you so…uh…when you're ready to come back, we're still in the choir room."

Kurt sighed, gathering his messenger bag and jacket up. He noticed that Finn still was in the bathroom, waiting for him.

"I'll catch up with you." He added causing Finn to turn on his feet and head back to the room he was previously in.

"Maybe it's just the 24hour bug or something…" Kurt silently hoped to himself as he headed for the Glee Club again. Right before opening the door he felt another wave of nausea take over his small frame and decided that it'd be best for him to just get home now. Before saying goodbye or even telling the members what had happened, he left the building and got into his car; crossing his fingers that his dad wouldn't have a fit when he saw him.

* * *

"I'm home dad!" Kurt called out.

"You're earlier than usual." Mr. Hummel laughed from the couch.

"Yeah…everyone's sick so we stopped rehearsing today." Kurt fibbed.

Mr. Hummel nodded, "Well, take care of yourself so you don't catch it too."

"I will, dad."

The teen dragged his tired body downstairs to his room and instantly got into his pajamas. He was ready to sleep this off in hopes that it'd go away by the next day. Kurt shivered in his gray PJ shirt and green flannel pants, so he grabbed his hoodie from the dresser by his bed and then buried himself with blankets and quilts. He secretly wished that his mom was tucking him in then…that'd make him feel so much better. Kurt squinted his eyes shut and hugged his sheets to his chin as he felt himself drifting off into a deep sleep.

Before he knew it the alarm clock beside him began to blare flashing the time "6:00AM" on his wall in red numbers. Kurt slapped it and turned back onto his side…he really didn't feel like getting up or having to go to school for that matter. The boy rolled out of bed and stumbled over to his Vanity. His hair was matted down to his forehead and there were huge bags under his eyes…his pale face that wore a green tint completed the look. Kurt let out a small weak cough before picking up his comb and trying to brush the tangles out of his hair.

He carelessly found a pair of jeans and a sweater from the back of his closet and threw it on. It was a nice sweater…but it was definitely oversized and not as fashionable as he usually was. At this point nothing matter to him; he just wanted to be comfy and warm. The chills kept coming as time passed and he was freezing. A sweater would be fine for a day like that.

Kurt wanted to drive to school; but he was too afraid he'd fall asleep at the wheel. He'd have to take the bus. The teen was terrified of his school bus. Not only was it gross and germy but the people on it were all nasty. He always struggled to find a seat. Possibly, going to the bus stop early would make it easier to find a place to sit; so that's what he decided to try. Kurt grabbed his bag and left the house without eating anything; he was worried it'd just come right back up at school.

The small boy walked down into his bus and made his way down the aisle looking for a seat. There were lots of open places but they were all right next to other people. There was no way any other highschooler would let him sit in a seat near them. He didn't even look at the person in the seat beside him but apparently, just his present was annoying to them.

"NO." The person yelled.

"H-huh?" Kurt asked nervously.

"Go away, loser…find somewhere else to sit."

The teen rolled his eyes, "You'll be working for me one day." He snickered under his breath.

Luckily, after an attentive search Kurt found a seat and sat down. He tried his best to stay awake, not even wanting to begin to imagine what the other students would do to him if he fell asleep in their presence.

**Let me know if you want me to update again soon! **

**xoxo**

**~EMMALEiGH**


	3. Chapter 3

**No worries; I didn't forget about this story! Feedback is always welcome, by the way. I love getting other fans/writers opinions on my writing :)**

**Also; thanks about my name! Just plain old "Emily" was too boring for my taste hahaha :D**

**I'm not sure if Blaine will be in this or not...possibly in the future, but as of now he won't. Hopefully that doesn't get rid of any of my readers LOL! **

The whole day was pretty much a blur to Kurt. He was so tired and weak. Why couldn't he just be at home sleeping or something? Oh right...he couldn't let that happen. As strange as it might've sounded, he felt the need to be strong all the time. He didn't want sympathy or people doting over him; he'd much rather just wallow around all by himself. Or did he? Something in the back of his mind told him that the whole "being tough" persona was just an act. He had a funny feeling that he pushed away those who loved him fearing that he'd lose them like what happened with his mother.

Luckily, the day was almost over and Glee was canceled. He just had to get through 10 more minutes and then he could go home to sleep again. Kurt watched as the clock ticked slowly. It felt like it was dragging by and 10 minutes became more like an hour. Just when he thought he was free to go and relax, Sue came onto the intercom.

_"Listen, Erma…I don't want to get sick, so I'm trying to get all of the kids who look contagious home. They've all left before I've even had to speak with them; well, except for Kurt Hummel." Sue explained._

_Emma cringed, "Why are you telling me this?"_

_"You're some sort of psychologist person, right? Get him to realize he's being stupid so he'll go home."_

_Emma shook her head meekly, "I-I'm not that good with sick people."_

_"I don't care; I want him home by this afternoon." Sue demanded._

_Emma gulped heavily, "Okay."_

"Kurt Hummel to Ms. Pillsbury's office." Sue snickered.

The whole class turned towards Kurt. He sighed and stood up slowly, making his way to the door and then down the hallway. Of course this had to happen today…he was obviously going to end up being held at school later than he wanted. The queasiness settled back into his gut, but he couldn't tell if it was because of nervousness or his sickness.

The door to Emma's office was open so Kurt walked right in and sat down in front of her desk. To his surprise, she walked into the room with a surgical mask over her face.

"Kurt…we're worried about you." She muffled from under the visor.

"Why?"

"You look pretty sick. If you have a fever, you should be at home."

Emma noticed that the teen wasn't paying attention to her. Instead he was rubbing his hand over his stomach shakily. Sweat rolled down his face as he shivered. He looked absolutely ill at the moment. Big bags drooped under his eyes and he sat in a tired slump.

"Y-you're not going to puke on me again, right?" She backed up a little bit.

"I feel fine, Ms. Pillsbury." Kurt replied.

"I'm not letting you leave until you take your temperature." She said firmly.

"I'm going to miss my bus if I don't leave now." He added, "My dad's at work so he can't pick me up either."

In fear that she'd end up catching what he had, Emma gave up.

"If you don't feel good, I want you to stay home tomorrow, okay?"

Kurt nodded and ran out of the office as quickly as he could. He clutched his messenger bag and dashed down to the busses as quickly as he could, alas he wasn't quick enough. The vehicles had already left. He glanced at his watch; the late busses should be coming in an hour…he could do homework in the library until they arrived.

Just to his luck, Artie was tutoring Finn in the library. Kurt tried to sneak in without them seeing him, but it was no use. They spotted him instantly…

"Oh my gosh, dude." Artie gasped, "You look like you were run over by a bus."

"Thanks." Kurt scoffed.

"I'm only kidding." Artie laughed, "Wanna chill here with us."

Kurt shrugged, "Okay."

Artie tried to explain everything to Finn, but had a hard time of doing so. He had to repeat the math equations at least 3 times before the taller boy would get it. They weren't being annoying; but the sound was making Kurt feel sick to his stomach. He could just tell by the way he was sweating that his fever was way too high to be normal.

Suddenly he wore a blank expression that had a twinge of fear and sadness to it. He looked down at his feet and mumbled something that sounded like "I miss you" if you listened close enough. Finn and Artie noticed this and kept quiet, wanting to see what'd happen next. They were both worried yet intrigued at the same time.

"I know…" Kurt whispered.

His voice quickly changed to an innocent sounding one. His tone was high pitched and it leaked with hopelessness, "I forgive you for leaving me, Mommy…it wasn't your fault."

Within seconds he snapped out of it and glanced at the two boys who were eying him weirdly.

"What?" Kurt asked, being unaware of everything that had just happen before.

**Hmm…cliff hanger :P LOL! I'll update soon if you guys want me to :)**

**xoxo**

**~EMMALEiGH**


	4. Chapter 4

**An update for this is WAY overdue! Sorry about the lack of updates…I've been sick :( lol! I think I might've caught something from Kurt hahaha!**

Artie and Finn both looked at each other with puzzled faces. What was wrong with Kurt? Why did he think his mother was at the school library? Artie's eyes lit up when he remembered something.

"I think he's hallucinating." He whispered.

"What?" Finn laughed.

"Sometimes people see things when they have high fevers….I knew he was sick!" Artie replied.

"Kurt." Finn looked towards the pale teen, "Are you sick or something?"

Kurt shook his head, "I already told you guys. I'm not sick."

Artie sighed and shook his head, "It's only going to get worse. If I were you, I'd just get it out and in the air right now."

Kurt groaned and grabbed his bag, standing up and leaving the library without saying anything else. He just wanted to be left alone for a little bit. Luckily his dad was on a business trip that night and he'd have the house to himself. He could just laze around and not be doted over by anyone…it'd be perfect!

The bus ride wasn't as bad as the one in the morning and it also didn't take as long either. The second he was dropped off, Kurt ran inside and threw on his pajamas, expecting this to be a relaxing night. A night free of anyone bothering him and trying to help out…but unfortunately, things don't always go over as planned.

That night was his school's "All Nighter" day, meaning that students had a chance to stay at the school all night and finish their mid-term-projects. Although most teens would have been upset about missing that day, Kurt didn't care. He already finished his essay in advance and the last thing he needed was to be surrounded by loud and annoying teens while he didn't feel his best.

About halfway through the second Project Runway of the night, Kurt began to feel weird. His stomach was rumbling, and not like it does when you're hungry. Kurt gulped heavily knowing what might come next. Being an Emetophobic**(1) **he could feel anxiety flair up. For once in a while he wasn't happy about being alone anymore. The teen instantly felt smothered and overwhelmed. His head was spinning and the lightheadedness was rising to an extreme; Kurt feared he might pass out. He wanted to drive up to the school and get help, but he was so worried at the moment; this might have just been a small case of the flu, but to Kurt it felt 10xs more agonizing. Driving wouldn't be a smart idea, but he knew he needed someone around.

"It's nothing...it's nothing..." Kurt said to himself. Maybe this was all in his head? Maybe he was just worrying too much?

He got up carefully, not wanting to make the dizziness even worse. A headache suddenly sank in causing Kurt to hunch over and let out a whimper of pain. He finally was able to stand upright and slowly make it to the bathroom...and he spent the rest of the night lying on the cold tile floor by the toilet, just in case. Thank goodness it was the weekend tomorrow; Kurt couldn't imagine what he'd do if he had to wake up early the next morning. The whole night was on and off again sleep. He'd fall asleep, wake up feeling nauseas, spend about an hour trying to fall back asleep again, and then repeat the cycle. At around 5AM, he was able to finally get some consecutive sleep.

Meanwhile, Mercedes, Tina, Artie, and Finn decided to head home from school. Their project was finished, and they were exhausted due to the school's "all-nighter" so going back to their houses seemed like a legitimate idea.

"Hey…" Mercedes said as the group all climbed into her car, "I don't think I saw Kurt here."

"Oh he was in a piss-y mood earlier…I think he might be sick or something." Finn shrugged.

"I feel kinda bad about not trying to help him." Artie sighed.

"M-me too." Tina added.

"Guys, he didn't want our help, remember?" Finn replied.

"Still." Mercedes added, "We should go check on him. His dad's away and he probably wants some company."

"L-let's drive d-down to h-his place!" Tina suggested.

"Good idea!" Artie and Mercedes agreed.

"Okay, I guess we should." Finn nodded.

The four students pulled up in front of the house and knocked on the front door, but there was no answer. They waited though, figuring he might be sleeping since it was 8AM and he wasn't feeling great the other day.

Kurt jumped up to his feet when he heard knocking on the door, "Dad!?" He called out. His dad wasn't supposed to be home until Monday…maybe something got cut short, though. The teen stood up and realized how cold it had become overnight. He stumbled to his room and grabbed his rob before heading to the front door. He turned the knob expecting to see his father, but instead his four friends stood in the doorway. He should've been mad, but instead he felt slightly relieved that people he knew were around and he wasn't so alone anymore.

"What happened to you?" They gasped. Right in front of them stood Kurt Hummel; the best-dressed student at McKinley. The one who always looks perfect…but now he looked anything but that. His usually gelled hair was a mess and stuck out in a hundred different directions and he was wearing oversized, worn out pajamas. The sleeves came way past his arms and the pants drooped from his tiny waste. His skin was a deathly shade of pale, all except the tips of his cheekbones that were rosy instead. It actually was kind of cute. They were so used to the "intimating" and "trendy" Kurt, that this new one was a surprise.

Mercedes couldn't help but "awwh" at the sight, "You look so adorable!" She squealed.

Kurt blushed and mumbled, "Shut up"

"Oh my gosh he d-does!" Tina added.

"Why are you guys here?" Kurt dismissed the girls.

"You look terrible." Artie sighed.

"Yeah, we know you're sick…it's written all over your face!" Finn called out, "Even Rachel came down with something yesterday, and she NEVER gets sick."

Tears trickled down Kurt's face causing Artie and Finn to turn towards each other. He wasn't hallucinating again, was he? Nope, he seemed too "collected" to be partially unconscious at the moment. Kurt was tired of fighting it…he felt horrible and wanted to get better.

"C-can one of you guys take my temperature?" Kurt said in a tiny voice that leaked with innocence, "I tried to last night, but I couldn't reach the thermometer."

"Sure." They all nodded.

Kurt walked back inside and his friends followed.

"Where do you keep the thermometer?" Finn, being the tallest, asked.

"It's in the linen closet on the top shelf." Kurt pointed across the room to a tall narrow closet. Finn hurried over to it and opened it up, scanning the shelves for a thermometer.

"I don't see it." He sighed.

"It's in a little blue bag…you can just bring the bag over here."

Finn instantly spotted the bag and handed it to Kurt, "Thanks." He replied quietly.

"That's a cute little bag." Mercedes smiled, sitting on the couch across from Kurt.

Kurt nodded, "My mom got it for me on my 1st birthday…"

"T-that's s-sweet." Tina grinned.

Kurt gulped heavily, holding back his tears, "Yeah."

Finn decided to get off the subject, "So do you need us to do anything else?"

Kurt shook his head, "I think I'm okay now. Thanks though."

** (1)Emetophobic-having Emetophobia aka the fear of being sick or vomiting.**

**Thanks for reading! I'm so happy everyone likes this so far :)**

**xoxo**

**~EMMALEiGH**


	5. Chapter 5

**No worries! I haven't forgotten about this story :)**

**Thanks so much for all of your amazing reviews…they always put a huge smile on my face. It means the world to me when I see that people enjoy my writing.**

Kurt could feel his body become shaky again. Not "shaky" as in literally shaking...perhaps "weak" might have been a better way to describe it. He hated being this hopeless; it embarrassed him to have to look this way in front of his peers. Behind flashy clothes and a loud confident attitude lies an insecure person, the type of person that Kurt would much rather push away and hide instead of expressing it to those around him. He looked as pathetic as he felt at the moment and it frustrated him. Excepting the fact that he needed his friends help would be hard for him, he didn't want to have to do that.

"Whoa, dude? Are you okay?" Artie said when he noticed Kurt begin quietly weeping into his hands.

Kurt shook his head solemnly, "I-I'm being stupid right now guys…I'm just overreacting. I should be capable of taking care of myself r-rather than burdening you guys with m-my proble—"

Mercedes instantly cut him off, "Kurt…don't you ever think for a minute that you are 'burdening us with your problems', okay? We want to help you…and you need us right now."

"I should b-be stronger…I have to be. Letting you guys take care of me is just another way of saying 'I give up'…" Kurt sniffled.

"Accepting a little help sometimes isn't "giving up", Kurt." Tina replied in a sympathetic voice.

"Y-yes it is." Kurt insisted, more tears spilling down his ashen cheeks, "I'm so weak." He took in a choppy breath, "I-I get beat up at school…and I never can do anything about it. I can't stand up for myself against bullies and n-now I can't even conquer a simple case of the f-flu."

"Everyone gets sick." Finn added, "Just because you need us to take care of you doesn't mean that you're weak."

The other Glee Club members chimed in, but Kurt couldn't hear them. His vision became blurred as the whole world around him slowed down. The chestnut-haired-boy wrapped his arms around his stomach and exhaled, trying to get rid of the pit feeling, though nothing seemed to work. He instantly felt his chest tighten…no, this wasn't the time to have a panic attack…not in front of everyone!

"Kurt…you need to relax." Tina called out, being worried for the teen that looked as if he were hyperventilating.

He shook his head, being unable to catch his breath and find words to say. Before he could do anything else, Kurt bent over and felt a hot acidy liquid creep up his throat. He squinted his eyes shut and vomited all over his pajamas and the living room rug. Tears managed to squeeze their way out from his already closed eyes. Kurt had never felt this embarrassed before.

"Shh…it's okay." Mercedes rubbed circles on his back.

Kurt carelessly wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve and dizzily stood up, "C-can you guys just l-leave me alone, please?"

The other four looked at each other for a moment and all had the same thought on their mind.

"No." They replied in unison, "We're not going to leave you in this state because we care about you."

Kurt's instincts told him to fight this and insist that they go anyways, but his heart said "let them stay, let them in…trust them" so he did just that.

"Thanks guys." He answered in a tiny voice, "You have no idea how much this means to me."

**Sorry that was shorter…I'll try to update tomorrow if you guys really want me to! Thanks for reading :) oh and if you ever have any suggestions for further chapters, let me know!**

**xoxo**

**~EMMALEiGH :)**


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